Owen Sound Sun Times

If you go down to the woods these days, you are bound to see others, especially if there are cross-country ski trails running among the trees. The pastime, which has always been popular in the area, is experiencing a COVID-19 fueled surge this winter, with local clubs seeing their memberships balloon. “Usually we have about […]

Grey County council has supported a 2021 draft budget calling for a tax rate increase of 2.11 per cent. The average increase for a single-detached household in the county will be just under $25. The average single-family dwelling not on waterfront is valued at about $278,000 in the county. “The 2021 budget is responsive to […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit has confirmed the first death related to COVID-19 in Grey-Bruce. A Grey-Bruce man in his 60s died on Saturday afternoon, the health unit said in a news release. The man had been in isolation in hospital since early January. “I offer my sincere condolences to the family and loved ones […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit was reporting two new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, both in The Blue Mountains. The new cases, reported in the 24 hours prior to midnight on Friday, brings the number of confirmed cases in Grey-Bruce to 642. A total of 30 cases remain active while 612 are considered resolved. There […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit has issued an alert after a surge in opioid overdoses in Owen Sound in recent days. There have been at least four non-fatal overdoses in the city in the past five days, the health unit said in a news release on Saturday. Ian Reich, the health unit’s manager of sexual […]

Owen Sound police are warning of the dangers of carrying replica firearms after a person was arrested with one in the city on Friday. City police said in a news release that carrying weapons or replica firearms that look real is a serious criminal offence and can be extremely dangerous for both members of the […]

Schools, long-term care homes and congregate settings in Grey-Bruce will soon have access to thousands of rapid COVID-19 test kits. The Grey Bruce Health Unit announced in a news release Friday it has obtained 14,000 Panbio Point of Care COVID-19 tests. The tests will continue to be used in long-term care and retirement homes as […]

Grey County is backing a call for the province to allow a “safe reopening” of Ontario’s ski hills after its stay-at-home order is lifted. Council authorized the county to send a letter of support, signed by Warden Selwyn Hicks, for the Blue Mountain Village Association and The Snow Resorts Association of Ontario’s recommended measures to […]

Grey County is increasing to $4 million the amount of a short-term loan to help Owen Sound Housing Company complete its latest affordable housing project after construction costs for the 60-unit build in Owen Sound came in higher than anticipated. County council agreed during Thursday’s committee of the whole meeting to change the loan amount […]

Two friends who died in a crash on the Queen Elizabeth Way in Burlington early Tuesday morning are being remembered by family and friends locally for their smiles and how they cared for others. Courtney Duguay, 24, of Owen Sound and Ceara Publuske, 23, of Kitchener were both pronounced dead at the scene of the […]

Owen Sound is adding a fifth bus route starting Monday to take people on essential trips during the pandemic to some of the busier locations, such as to Walmart, work and medical appointments. The newly created Midtown route is designed to hit many stops also serviced by the city’s most popular route, the East Bayshore, […]

According to new mental health statistics, almost half of all Canadians have been feeling isolated and lonely since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jackie Ralph and Becky Hunt reported the latest Canadian Mental Health Association numbers, including this one, at the 2021 Grey Bruce Farmers’ Week as part of their presentation that focused on […]

More than 230 residents and staff are the first at Bruce County-owned long-term care homes to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The 128 residents and seven staff members at Brucelea Haven in Walkerton and 90 residents and 13 staff members at Gateway Haven in Wiarton received their first dose of the Moderna vaccine Wednesday. Gateway Haven […]

Bruce County Paramedic Services has launched a community paramedicine program with $123,240 in provincial funding that’s set to run out March 31. Chief Steve Schaus said Thursday the county is hoping to receive additional funding so it can continue the program beyond that date. “We are very excited to join the other services in Ontario […]

A police dog helped officers find two suspects who fled a break-and-enter in progress reported to police Wednesday night. The Collingwood and The Blue Mountains OPP said officers were dispatched to a break-and-enter in progress at a residence on Grey Road 19 about 10 p.m. in Blue Mountains. The suspects had fled when police arrived […]

Grey Bruce OPP asked for help Thursday to identify two suspects as part of an investigation into a stolen pickup truck which was set on fire and destroyed. A pickup truck was reported stolen from a Georgian Bluffs address Jan. 15 at 4:40 p.m. Thieves used credit cards from a stolen wallet to buy fuel […]

Grey County has submitted a proposal to the province to significantly expand its six-year-old community paramedicine program, which sees paramedics assessing and providing care to vulnerable patients in their homes. “Our goal is to expand the program across the county and add an additional 300 to 350 patients, which would bring the total to 450 […]

There’s a local man on the Southwestern Ontario Transportation Task Force announced this week. Sidney Nadjiwon, a band councillor of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation at Neyaashiinigmiing, is so far the only representative in Grey-Bruce on the nine-member committee. More members will be announced but from where remains to be seen. The task […]

Nobody was hurt when a school bus with 15 students onboard slid off a road in Grey Highlands on Wednesday. Grey Bruce OPP were called to Grey Road 132 just east of Highway 10 just after 8:30 a.m. All of the students were safely evacuated and transported to school on another bus, police said in […]

The Special Investigations Unit said Wednesday it made a mistake by indicating Hanover police didn’t inform it that a man suffered serious injury when he fell through a greenhouse roof in their presence. An SIU spokeswoman had said the police oversight agency decided to investigate after it read a Hanover police news release which said […]

The need for better transportation infrastructure and rural Internet service – issues that have intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic – were major topics of discussion for Grey and Bruce counties during this week’s Rural Ontario Municipal Association Conference. This year’s conference, done virtually this year because of the pandemic, was held on Monday and Tuesday […]

The Owen Sound Regional Hospital Foundation’s Guardian Angel Campaign has raised over $460,000 for a specialized surgical table at the city hospital. The annual campaign had a goal of raising $400,000 for a new advanced surgical table with x-ray capabilities, and the goal was surpassed by $60,000, it said in a news release from the […]

Ontario is aiming to have all residents and staff at long-term care homes vaccinated for COVID-19 by Feb. 15 and over $3 million in increased funding is headed to local homes to help ensure they reach the finish line as safely as possible. Both Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker and Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson announced […]

An Owen Sound woman has been identified as one of two people killed in a collision on the Queen Elizabeth Way in Burlington on Tuesday morning. Courtney Duguay of Owen Sound was the passenger in a car that was in a collision involving four vehicles. The driver of the car, Ceara Publuske of Kitchener, was […]

Another retail cannabis store application has popped up in Grey-Bruce, this time in Rockford. The AGCO announced on Wednesday that the 15-day public notice phase had begun for a Cannabis Grey Bruce retail store in Unit 9 of the Rockford Plaza on Grey Road 18. Cannabis Grey Bruce already has a store operating in Owen […]

Charges have been laid after a knife was brandished at a residence at Saugeen First Nation on the weekend, police say. On Saturday, just before 1:30 a.m., Grey Bruce OPP responded to report of threats being made at a residence on Highway 21. A suspect had threatened another person, after brandishing a knife, before running […]

A store employee suffered minor injuries after being assaulted by a suspect in a theft from a Sunset Strip business on Tuesday. Just after noon, Grey Bruce OPP responded to an assault that had occurred at the commercial business on the Sunset Strip in Georgian Bluffs. A suspect had stolen items from the store and […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported a single new case of the COVID-19 virus on Tuesday. The lone case was in Hanover, bringing the total to 625 for Grey-Bruce since the beginning of the pandemic. A total of 22 cases remain active, while 603 have been resolved. There is also one active probable case, which […]

Small and rural municipal governments have been waiting for word about funding under the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund with fingers crossed. They can relax for another year. The provincial government is sending out the cheques again this year, $5.94 million to 12 municipal governments in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound. “Whenever possible, I take the opportunity to express […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit has released its vaccination plan for Grey-Bruce, which aims to have at least 75 per cent of the population immunized by the end of the year. The plan, released on Monday, outlines the health unit’s three-phase approach to vaccinating the population, using mobile clinics, distribution to primary care, hospitals and […]

The provincial Special Investigations Unit has reassessed its decision and will now investigate the circumstances that led to a man falling through a greenhouse roof and fracturing his shoulder in Hanover Sunday. Spokeswoman Monica Hudon said by email Tuesday that “given the updated information regarding the nature of the man’s injury, the SIU has now […]

Since the return to class on Monday, Owen Sound police have been out educating students at the city’s high schools about the measures in place to slow the spread of COVID-19. But education could turn to enforcement for those who don’t comply with the Reopening Ontario Act, which can include fines of $750 to those […]

A suspected electrical fire in the attic of a two-storey brick house caused an estimated $100,000 damage Sunday, Owen Sound Fire Chief Doug Barfoot said. Firefighters were called to 1096 4th Ave. A W. in Owen Sound after people inside the house noticed smoke coming from the attic as they were leaving their residence. The […]

A man fell through the glass roof of a greenhouse at the former John Diefenbaker Secondary School in Hanover and fractured his shoulder while police tried to talk him down, a police news release said Monday. Police were alerted about the 33-year-old man from West Grey, who was reported to be in a mental-health crisis […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit received 600 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Monday and expects another 700 doses next week. The health unit plans to administer the vaccines to long-term care, high-risk retirement, and First Nations elder care residents in Grey and Bruce counties, according to a news release issued late Monday afternoon. The […]

A pilot made a bumpy emergency landing on snow-covered, frozen Lake Eugenia late Sunday morning and walked to shore virtually unharmed. The 56-year-old was flying his homemade two-seater plane alone when his engine failed, Grey Bruce OPP Const. Rick Sadler said Monday in an interview. Photos show the sleek white Van’s RV-7A plane, with a […]

Two people have been charged with drug trafficking after a search warrant was executed in Georgian Bluffs on Friday. Grey Bruce OPP were assisted by members of the Grey Bruce OPP Community Street Crime Unit with the execution of the warrant at a residence on Highway 6 on Friday. Police seized cocaine, heroin, hydrocodone, methamphetamine, […]

With preparatory work set to begin soon to add a CT scanner at the Kincardine hospital, South Bruce Grey Health Centre officials are planning to hold a virtual information session Tuesday evening to update the community on the project. The session is set to begin at 6 p.m. on Zoom and Facebook Live. Hospital corporation […]

With Ontario under lockdown and indoor public spaces off limits for the time being, the Tom Thomson Art Gallery has found a new way to invite people in. Last week the art gallery launched its new online digital portal, including interactive tours of the gallery’s current exhibitions, educational activities and information about upcoming exhibitions. Gallery […]

Owen Sound is launching a new four-week, “physically distanced experience” aimed at supporting physical and mental health, while ensuring people remain safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. SNOWen Sound Frolics is set to run from Feb. 1 to 28 and will include 10 outdoor landmarks in the city. “While we need to stay home, stay safe […]

The long-time executive director of Home & Community Support Services, which provides programs aimed at helping adults in Grey-Bruce remain in their homes longer, is retiring this spring. Andy Underwood, who’s led the organization since June 6, 2000, said he feels this is the right time to pass the torch to a new top staffer, […]

South Bruce Peninsula Mayor Janice Jackson says the town is excited to “open the doors” to food trucks now that council has approved a bylaw to licence and regulate them. “We constantly hear there’s not enough food options in South Bruce Peninsula. And in the summer, when we’re full of tourists, there’s always lineups at […]

Seven new cases of COVID-19 were reported to the Grey Bruce Health Unit over the weekend. The two cases confirmed Sunday were from Hanover and Owen Sound, while there were single cases Saturday from Brockton, Hanover, Huron-Kinloss, Saugeen Shores and West Grey. There are now 25 known active cases of the novel coronavirus in the […]

A 36-year-old Saugeen Shores man is facing several charges after police say he resisted arrest, kicked an officer and threatened to kill another. Saugeen Shores police were called to Cemetery Road just before 5 p.m. Friday after a citizen reported a suspected impaired driver in a truck in a ditch. The male driver was still […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported four new COVID-19 cases Friday, including three long-term care residents from Huron-Perth transferred to the hospital in Kincardine. One new case was found in West Grey. Grey-Bruce Medical Officer of Health Dr. Ian Arra said he didn’t know why the decision to move long-term care patients from their home […]

South Bruce Peninsula is pursuing a plan to create a “community hub,” with town hall, indoor pool, arena and other amenities, at the north end of Wiarton and has outlined how it would pay for it. “The community hub will be the centre of our municipality. We want to create a place where it’s the […]

After a third independent investigation, and with 18 Bruce County meetings now deemed improperly closed to the public since 2016, Ontario’s ombudsman has been asked to take a close look at Bruce County’s practices. Bruce County council received a Dec. 31 closed-meeting investigation report by the firm Aird & Berlis on Jan. 14 and asked […]

January 23, 2020

A shop and truck in Georgian Bluffs were destroyed by fire overnight Thursday, but firefighters managed to stop it from spreading to a nearby home. The fire at the property on Grey Road 170 was the second call of the evening for the Inter Township Fire Department, Deputy-chief Andy Redmond said Friday morning. Crews had […]

School officials in Grey-Bruce are confident in the measures they have in place to ensure a safe return to school on Monday. The Ontario government announced late Wednesday afternoon that seven health unit regions in the province, including Grey-Bruce, had been given the OK to resume in-class learning on Monday. The Bluewater District School Board […]